Off-site commerce media overview

Off-site commerce media has rapidly emerged as a must-watch frontier in commerce media, promising expansive reach, advanced targeting, and new revenue streams. But while the potential is clear, buyer adoption is still marked by uncertainty, complexity, and varied definitions. Here is our guide to off-site commerce media: what’s working, what’s not, and what’s next.

Off-site defined

One problem holding the industry back: the lack of alignment on what “off-site” means. That ambiguity is slowing progress.

Many associate off-site with social and display advertising—but the list is growing to include connected TV (CTV), digital out-of-home, and podcast media. And even these options don’t fully capture where commerce data is being used today.

Here’s how we define it: Off-site commerce media combines the power of commerce first-party data with ad reach on platforms outside of commerce media networks (CMNs)’ own shopping platforms. It gives advertisers the ability to reach their next customer and existing customers across a broad range of channels and formats – social media, video platforms, CTV, DOOH, display, traditional media, and podcasts.

Top buyer challenges in off-site media

To better understand what’s holding off-site back despite massive potential, Koddi surveyed 126 brand and agency executives in March 2025. Buyers highlighted several recurring pain points:

• Difficulty comparing results across platforms: When media buying is fragmented across different channels and networks, it can be nearly impossible for advertisers and agencies to understand what’s working and how to grow their investment.
• Limited access to performance metrics: Similarly, with limited visibility into key indicators like ROI, attention, and attribution, buyers struggle to justify spend or optimize campaigns effectively—especially when platforms report differently or fail to provide granular, trustworthy data.
  
• Lack of consistency in objectives: Off-site campaigns are often bolted onto existing media strategies without clear, agreed-upon goals. This leads to misaligned expectations between brands, commerce media networks, and partners—where one party may be seeking upper-funnel reach while another is expecting direct conversions.
• Complexity in activation and execution: Running off-site commerce media can involve multiple platforms, logins, and workflows—from sponsored product engines to GAM to Meta to DSPs. This operational sprawl makes it difficult for lean teams to scale, introduces risk, and slows down time to launch.

These issues speak to an ecosystem still in its early stages, where measurement standards, platforms, and processes are uneven and fragmented. Commerce media networks and brands alike struggle to unify their strategies or fully understand how off-site ties into broader commerce media goals.

Defining off-site goals for commerce media networks

One of the core issues today is the lack of alignment around campaign objectives. While on-site commerce media tends to focus on direct conversions and ROI, off-site often serves more upper-funnel objectives—reach, awareness, and brand affinity. When those goals aren’t clearly defined upfront, performance disappointments and misunderstandings follow.

For commerce media networks, off-site isn’t a simple performance lever. Off-site is part of a broader profit strategy that complements loyalty, in-store experience, and omnichannel commerce.

How advertisers want to buy off-site

Interestingly, when Koddi surveyed brands and agencies and asked how they prefer to buy off-site media, over half of advertisers still favored going directly to the commerce media network—via managed or self-service solutions—rather than through programmatic platforms. The reasoning ranged from better audience customization and trust to ease of working with established trade relationships.

Despite the rise of DSPs and third-party platforms, many buyers still default to CMNs due to familiarity, perceived control, and the ability to bundle with on-site spend. That said, a significant number also expressed growing interest in curated deals via DSPs—especially if transparency and targeting can be guaranteed.

Who buys off-site? Endemic vs. non-endemic advertisers in commerce media

It’s important to consider the kinds of brands investing in off-site retail media—and how their goals, risks, and responsibilities differ. There is a clear distinction between endemic advertisers (brands that sell through the retailer) and non-endemic advertisers (those that don’t).

• Endemic brands often view off-site as an extension of their on-site campaigns, designed to drive traffic back to the retailer or reinforce category leadership. These campaigns benefit from strong alignment between retailer and brand objectives, and typically leverage co-op budgets, shared creative input, and familiar trade relationships.
  
• Non-endemic brands, on the other hand, present both a revenue opportunity and a brand sensitivity concern for retailers. A luxury watch brand targeting high-income shoppers via a grocery retailer’s data may create real value for consumers, but it’s important to maintain user experience and brand standards as advertisers expand.

When a commerce media network starts acting like a data broker—syndicating first-party data across exchanges and DSPs—it must put brand safeguards in place. Technology has to account for common sense, creative oversight, and strict governance, especially for non-endemic partners, to align with a consumer-focused experience.

What’s next for off-site?

Overall, what brands and agencies want is more and more centralization—the ability to manage on-site, off-site, and in-store activations from a single platform—while still achieving the outcomes and accountability they expect from commerce media. In fact, 94% of buyers said unified platform access would be valuable. Looking ahead, several key trends are shaping the next phase of off-site retail media:

• Commerce media network data is a performance multiplier: Nearly two-thirds of advertisers surveyed said their off-site campaigns performed better when powered by retailer or commerce data. This reinforces the unique value CMNs bring to audience targeting and campaign efficiency across external channels.
• AI and campaign copilots are shaping activation: As retail media operations grow more complex, many CMNs are exploring AI-driven tools that can recommend off-site tactics based on campaign goals—helping streamline planning and boost media efficiency without sacrificing precision.
• Non-endemic expansion requires built-in accountability: As interest grows in allowing non-endemic brands to activate off-site using commerce data, buyers and CMNs alike are calling for stronger safeguards—like creative approval, data governance, and outcome alignment—to ensure relevance and responsibility.
• Curated deals are on the rise: 90% of buyers expressed interest in curated packages that combine premium media with commerce data. These structured offerings—often delivered via DSPs—help simplify activation, maintain brand safety, and expand access to high-performing inventory without requiring full platform control.

Final thoughts

Off-site commerce media is no longer a fringe experiment—it’s a foundational part of the future of commerce media. The path forward requires clarity in goals, simplification in tools, and above all, a consumer-first mindset. The journey is complex, but the upside is undeniable.

To dive deeper, download the full research report presented by Koddi and RetailX—packed with stats, brand case studies, and actionable insights for buyers, sellers, and tech partners alike.